


Return to One's Self

by WatercolorSunrise



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Post V good ending, Recovery, V Route, post v route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 20:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20364793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WatercolorSunrise/pseuds/WatercolorSunrise
Summary: A small snippet of V and Saeran during the two years they were traveling together.This was written for Saeran Choi Week 2019 on Tumblr for the prompt Travels.





	Return to One's Self

It’s been about four months since the downfall of Mint Eye. Since V pulled him out of that heap of rubble. Things have been… strange since then to say the least. They’ve been working on it. Working on filling in the gaps, re-writing the lies, and coming to terms with what Rika had done to the both of them. It isn’t easy. Sometimes there’s yelling, sometimes Saeran is just so confused, he needs to scream, or cry, or laugh at how ridiculous it all is. Sometimes he’s angry, sometimes he’s sad, sometimes he’s bitter. Sometimes there’s nothing at all. Re-learning who your enemies are, and more importantly who your allies are isn’t an easy task to accomplish.

“I think we need to get out of here for a while, you and I.” V says to Saeran one night after dinner. They’ve been staying in an apartment in Busan. Saeran rarely leaves the place - only when V drags him out. Which he’s pretty sure is about to happen right now.

“Get out?” Saeran repeats staring at the other man in confusion. “Like to the park again or?”

V smiles softly. “No, I mean out of the country. See the world a little bit. Your whole life can’t be just 4 walls.”

“Why?” Saeran asks, in a slightly sardonic tone. “It always has been.”

V frowns. “Yes, I know. It shouldn’t have been though, and it doesn’t have to be like that anymore.”

Saeran nods impassively. Part of him is almost excited. A bigger part is telling him he doesn’t control his life and never has anyway so this might as well be the next thing on his list of orders.

“Fine” He eventually answers. “Where are we going?”

V is a little put off by how quickly he resigns to the idea, wondering if that’s a good or bad thing, but deciding to take what he can get. “Is there anything you’d like to see?”

Saeran stares at him incredulously. “I’ve… “ he pauses. “Never really thought about it before.”

“Well, let me know when you do. I’m going to start packing, I have a few places in mind I think you might like. We can start with one of those.”

—-

They are somewhere in Europe, that’s all Saeran knows. His world has gotten way too large for him in the past two months. It’s both terrifying and liberating. He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t feel any better at all, then again he’s pretty good at lying to himself. The sun has already set and they are having dinner on an outdoor patio, near a busy street. He looks up, but the sky is just hazy grey past all the ambient light from the city, not a star to be seen.

“I know where I’d like to go.” Saeran says suddenly, catching V off guard. There had been little conversation between the two throughout the meal. Leaving both of them silently stewing in thought.

V smiles across the table at him, inside he’s elated but doesn’t let it show on his face. “I’m glad.” he says simply.

—

V has been driving for what feels like forever, but he doesn’t mind. The truth was he’d drive the expanse of the continent if it gave Saeran some solace. He’d do it for any of them, but Saeran needs it most.

Eventually, they pull up to their campsite in the Jeep V had rented for this trip. He looks over to the passenger seat finding his companion asleep against the window still jet-lagged no doubt.

Saeran’s hair has grown out. Both of theirs has, V’s even more so before. Seeing Saeran’s natural red roots beginning to take over the white gives him a certain sense of content, he isn’t sure why. He wonders idly if Saeran will want to go back to his bleached appearance before reuniting with his brother.

“Saeran.” He says softly, nudging the younger man’s shoulder hesitantly. Waking up Saeran can be somewhat of a dangerous prospect, what with years of sleeping being met with punishment, one could never be quite sure who you were going to get when those minty blue-green eyes opened.

Saeran stirs languidly, a short whine escapes him before his eyes open and long yawn ensues. After a minute he stops staring blankly into the dashboard and looks to his right, out the window.

It’s almost like a trance, V watches him as he opens the door and wanders tiredly a short distance from their vehicle, eyes trained upwards until his back is to V.

Eventually, he stops just looking up at the millions of stars and the way he can see different colors in the night sky, so far out from light pollution. His mouth slacks, he stares up in childlike wonder. He feels small, so small. But not in the way he has for so long. No, this smallness is different, comforting, freeing.

Saeran feels a light stream of wetness fall down his cheek. And then he does something he hasn’t done in months. He smiles a true honest smile as subsequent tears roll down his cheeks from his tired eyes.

“I’m free.” He whispers up into the night sky. “I’m free.”

When he turns around, V is still watching him from a distance. The smile is still on Searan’s face, the tears are still in his eyes too and when V sees him, his face breaks into a wide grin as well. He hasn’t seen this Saeran in so long, too long. The one that’s enraptured with the world, with nature.

Saeran approaches him and stops in front of him. “Jihyun-Hyung.” He says. He hasn’t called V that in years. V thought he’d never hear it again. V’s own eyes are now just as wet as his younger companions.

“Yes?” V replies, voice breaking.

“Thank you.” Saeran says simply, stepping forward to embrace the taller man.

V sobs audibly at the contact and embraces him back, holding tightly. “It’s the least I can do.” he mutters almost intelligibly through sobs.


End file.
